A computerized reservation system (CRS) traditionally has provided a communications network for travel agents or other persons to book airline reservations. Other companies may interface their computer systems with a CRS in order to make information concerning their services available via the CRS. For example, a hotel company may interface its reservation system with a CRS so that when a person books an airline reservation, he or she may also make a hotel reservation through the same network.
CRS's typically use a complex protocol for identifying and transferring data. Other companies desiring to interface their computer systems with a CRS, therefore, may find it difficult or expensive to modify their computer systems to accommodate the complex protocol of a CRS. This situation may discourage other companies from interfacing their computer systems with a CRS, which limits the available information via that network.
In addition, customers interfacing their computer systems with a CRS are typically routed through servers (or other machines) interfacing with the CRS. Generally, different servers are assigned to particular customers and service only those customers, each customer being typically routed through only one server. Therefore, if that server becomes nonfunctional, service to the customer is unavailable until the server can be brought back into operation or back on-line.
Accordingly, a need exists for data conversion and for load balancing access to a CRS or other computer network.